NEW ORLEANS – A federal appeals court has affirmed the life sentence of an AWOL soldier who planned to detonate a bomb inside a Texas restaurant frequented by Fort Hood soldiers.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied Naser Jason Abdo's request to consider his initial detention by police a full arrest, which would have made it unlawful and rendered as inadmissible evidence and statements obtained at the time. The court Monday also rejected Abdo's argument that his trial was unfair because he was denied access to an expert witness.
Abdo was AWOL from Fort Campbell, Ky., when he was arrested with bomb-making materials in 2011. A federal jury convicted him May 2012 on six charges, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
